Health Information Privacy

Telemedicine

commentary
Telemedicine Abortion? It's Not as Easy as It Sounds
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has providers and health advocates strategizing about how to provide more abortions where it is still legal. Expanding virtual medical visits is one popular idea. Policymakers and clinics could take steps to make telemedicine better understood, easier to use, and more equitable.
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Aug 19, 2022
Zachary Predmore @zspredmore, Julia Rollison @Julia_Rollison

Health Care Technology

commentary
When IT Meets Medical Innovation: Regulatory and Policy Challenges for Software as a Medical Device
The demand for using software to improve health care, including software as a medical device (SaMD), is on the rise. Realizing the potential benefits of the growing demand for SaMD may require clearer and more-consistent regulation of patient safety and medical effectiveness.
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Jun 10, 2022
Zuzanna Marciniak-Nuqui, Nick Fahy, et al.
Media Literacy

blog
Media Literacy, Internet of Bodies, Arctic Governance: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on teaching media literacy in schools, a “connected future” via the Internet of Bodies, gaps in Arctic governance, and more.
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Aug 6, 2021
Pharmaceutical Drugs

blog
Prescription Drug Prices, Transgender Troops, Space Diplomacy: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on America's high prescription drug prices, allowing transgender troops in the military, food insecurity in Black neighborhoods, and more.
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Jan 29, 2021
Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy

commentary
Now Could Be the Time to Form Policy for Emerging Brain- and Body-Enhancement Technologies
Policymakers might consider developing appropriate policy frameworks for emerging brain- and body-enhancement technologies to ensure that innovations harnessed for societal, economic, or military benefits do not create new vulnerabilities and that governments adequately defend and manage against potential attacks. The technology is quickly moving forward. Policy may need to play catch-up.
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Jan 12, 2021
Mary Lee @MaryLee_PhD, Timothy Marler, et al.
Health Information Privacy

essay
Are We Ready for the Internet of Bodies?
Any device can be hacked, including one inside the human body. We need to think through the privacy and security implications of devices that live with us. But we should also consider the life-changing, life-saving potential of technologies that know us inside and out.
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Jan 8, 2021
Health Information Privacy

commentary
Mobile Health Surveillance Is Here to Stay, So How Do We Protect Privacy?
Mobile phone surveillance can augment public health interventions to manage COVID-19 and might help countries prepare for the next outbreak. But these programs collect sensitive health and behavior data. That raises significant risks to personal privacy and civil liberties.
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Aug 20, 2020
Benjamin Boudreaux
China

blog
China in 2050, Using Mobile Tools to Track COVID-19, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the future of U.S.-China competition, privacy concerns surrounding mobile tools used to track COVID-19, how telemedicine can help patients access specialized care, and more.
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Jul 31, 2020
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

blog
What Happens When States Reopen, Truth Decay, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the health and economic consequences of states reopening, the dangers of Truth Decay during the coronavirus crisis, helping refugees, and more.
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May 22, 2020
Health Information Privacy

commentary
Should Communities Be Concerned About Digital Technologies to Fight COVID-19?
Personal smart devices offer an unprecedented opportunity to identify, track, map, and communicate about COVID-19. But apps could pose privacy and security concerns.
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May 13, 2020
Abbie Tingstad, Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer, et al.
Artificial Intelligence

q&a
The Promise and Perils of AI: Q&A with Douglas Yeung
Douglas Yeung, a social psychologist at RAND, discusses how any technology reflects the values, norms, and biases of its creators. Bias in artificial intelligence could have unintended consequences. He also warns that cyber attackers could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.
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Feb 27, 2019
Bioethics

commentary
Biology, in the Language of the People
As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Experts should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.
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Feb 21, 2019
Timothy Marler, Dona Odell
commentary
Intentional Bias Is Another Way Artificial Intelligence Could Hurt Us
Conversations about unconscious bias in artificial intelligence often focus on algorithms unintentionally causing disproportionate harm to entire swaths of society. But the problem could run much deeper. Society should be on guard for the possibility that nefarious actors could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.
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Oct 22, 2018
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Health Information Privacy

commentary
The Perils of Connecting Our Bodies to the Internet
High-tech health care solutions are part of an emerging sector of medical technologies that monitor personal health data by essentially connecting your body to the Internet. As smart devices in health care evolve, the line between human and machine is blurring, and creating new concerns about consumer safety and privacy rights.
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Oct 15, 2018
Mary Lee @MaryLee_PhD
Electronic Medical Records

commentary
How Smartphone Apps Could Help Keep Health Records Accurate
Electronic health records have helped streamline record keeping but providers aren't always able to reliably pull together records for the same patient from different hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices. The growing use of smartphones offers a promising opportunity to improve record matching.
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Oct 4, 2018
Ben Moscovitch, Robert S. Rudin @rsrudin
Artificial Intelligence

commentary
Keeping Artificial Intelligence Accountable to Humans
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are often only as intelligent and fair as the data used to train them. To enable AI that frees humans from bias instead of reinforcing it, experts and regulators must think more deeply not only about what AI can do, but what it should do—and then teach it how.
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Aug 20, 2018
Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba
Cybercrime

commentary
The WannaCry Cyber Attack Could Be the First of Many If the NHS Takes No Action
In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) was one of the organizations most severely affected by the WannaCry ransomware. The NHS and other public sector organizations need to improve their cybersecurity processes and quickly before a more severe cyber attack takes place.
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Dec 1, 2017
Erik Silfversten
commentary
Using Digital Data in Criminal Investigations: Where and How to Draw the Line?
Personal devices such as smartphones and wearables gather and store personal data. How much of this "digital footprint" should be available for criminal investigations?
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May 15, 2017
Brian A. Jackson
The Internet

commentary
Reining in Internet Abuse
The internet is being used for harmful, unethical, and illegal purposes. Examples include incitement and recruitment by terrorists, cyber bullying, and malicious fake news. Americans say they are unhappy with the tone of the online discourse, but are reluctant to consider potential remedies.
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Mar 23, 2017
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Cybercrime

commentary
Digital Theft: The New Normal
Absolute data breach prevention is not possible, so knowing what people want when it happens is important. Consumers and corporations alike should accept this risk as a “when,” not an “if,” and prepare for it.
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Oct 10, 2016
Lillian Ablon, Kathryn Kuznitsky
Health Information Privacy

commentary
Privacy Preferences for Healthcare Records and Information Across Europe
The general public has a more nuanced preference for the privacy of electronic health records than previously thought. Survey respondents said that they would not be averse to individuals involved in the health and rescue professions having access to their basic health information.
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May 11, 2016
Catherine L. Saunders, Sunil Patil
Health Information Privacy

commentary
A Unique Identifier Could Protect Patient Privacy
The policy debate about unique patient identifier numbers should determine the best approach for reconciling two goals: optimizing the privacy and security of health information and making record matching as close to perfect as is practical.
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Feb 3, 2016
Michael D. Greenberg
Cybersecurity

commentary
U.S. Needs a New Electronic Identity-Protection Strategy to Prevent 'Hybrid Warfare' Attacks
The U.S. government needs to develop a strategy to protect its citizens that includes a unique identifying number or code and a method for protecting these identity keys in online transactions.
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Jul 6, 2015
Daniel Gonzales @gonzadan
Cybersecurity

commentary
After a Year of Major Hacks, 2015 Resolutions to Bolster Cyber Security
With numerous data breaches and emerging software vulnerabilities, 2014 was the year the hack went viral. But realizing a few New Year's resolutions in 2015 could help defenders make strides in protection, tools, and techniques to gain the edge over cyber attackers in years to come.
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Dec 31, 2014
Lillian Ablon
Cybersecurity

commentary
After NSA Spying Revelations, US Must Reform Rules on Secrecy and Data
The U.S. should make two key reforms. First, the over-designation of material as classified makes it is harder to protect the few real secrets; this must be change. Second, the FISA court must become a gatekeeper for NSA access to communications data.
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Nov 14, 2013
Gregory F. Treverton
European Union

commentary
The Cracks in Data Privacy
For almost 15 years, Europe has led the world in protecting personal data. At the EU level, it has done this through the data-protection directive adopted in 1995. But surveys such as one carried out by Eurobarometer last year illustrate that Europeans now feel insufficiently protected, write Lorenzo Valeri and Neil Robinson.
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May 19, 2009
Lorenzo Valeri, Neil Robinson
Health Information Privacy

commentary
Creating Health ID Numbers Could Improve Patient Privacy
As it considers ways to improve the efficiency and quality of U.S. health care, one issue that a new Congress should reconsider is the longstanding roadblock that has stalled efforts to create a system of unique patient identification numbers for every person in the United States, writes Richard Hillestad.
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Oct 30, 2008
Richard Hillestad
commentary
RFID Security in the Workplace: Perk or Privacy?
RFID Security in the Workplace: Perk or Privacy?, in the Security World International.
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Jun 1, 2007
Gordon Bitko, Tora K. Bikson, et al.
commentary
And Now, the Good Side of Facial Profiling
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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Feb 4, 2001
John D. Woodward